Our History

National Puppy Mill Project (NPMP) arose from founder Cari Meyers’ vision that ending puppy mills and the inhumane treatment of dogs used as breeding stock could be better accomplished as a collaborative effort.

Meyers, founder and President of The Puppy Mill Project (TPMP), a grassroots nonprofit in Chicago that works to educate the public about puppy mill cruelty, realized that this national issue was much larger in scope than TPMP alone could resolve.

Meyers knew there were others also working to end puppy mill cruelty and believed that if somehow they could connect, and work together, more could be done. With the help of Janie Jenkins, a long-time animal welfare advocate and vice president of TPMP, she reached out to others.

In October 2010, TPMP, along with Iowa Voters for Companion Animals (IVCA), hosted a conference in Chicago and invited other grassroots animal welfare organizations with a shared mission of ending puppy mills and the inhumane treatment of mill dogs. Over 100 animal welfare advocates from across the nation convened to discuss ways to collaborate, share resources, and ideally, put an end to puppy mills.

Although many of these nonprofits had been working for years to raise awareness of the cruelty of puppy mills and educate consumers on the connection between puppy mills, pet stores and websites that sell puppies, alone they could not resolve this issue.

"We realized a need to connect and learn from each other on an ongoing basis" said Meyers after the conference. A vision of a national coalition was born.

In 2012, Meyers and Jenkins joined forces with Betty Stebbins, a nonprofit management consultant and former corporate executive with 30 years experience driving sustainable impact, building organizational capabilities and creating brand equity, to take NPMP from concept to reality. In 2013, the vision was turned into a reality.

National Puppy Mill Project, a registered 501(c)(3), is a catalyst for change on a national level.